QUEENS, N.Y. — Police are investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred Tuesday at a bodywork spa on Kissena Boulevard in Queens. Authorities say a 25-year-old man, identified as Jiahai Ma, entered the spa around 5:30 p.m. and attacked a 26-year-old female worker, Jui Mei Tang, stabbing her multiple times in front of customers and staff.
The incident took place inside a storefront at 41-39 Kissena Blvd., which houses several Chinese businesses, including a hair salon. The area was crowded with people at the time of the attack.
Tang was transported to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital by emergency responders, where she died from her injuries, which included a fatal stab wound to her neck.
When police arrived at the scene, they found Ma holding a knife and took him into custody. Witnesses, visibly shaken, were interviewed with the assistance of a translator.
Both Tang and Ma lived at 14-20-Cherry Avenue in Queens.
Ma has been charged with murder, menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, and harassment in the second degree. The investigation is ongoing.